Lloyd's POV

I place one last flower near Rumi's head, filling out the circle I made around her body. She's lying on our bed, arms resting limply beside her, as she looks out at me from one eye. "If you take any longer to set this up, I might fall asleep," she lets out a big yawn for effect, making me smile.

"Well good thing I just finished then," I lean down and give her a soft, quick kiss on her lips. "Do you want me to warn you before I start?"

"It feels nice, so you don't need to," she closes her other eye and sinks into the bed. Her muscles relax, the tension pouring out of them as she waits for me.

Closing my own eyes, I focus on the flowers lying around her and on the energy they possess. It's a gentle thrumming that begs me to grip onto it. I extend my powers outwards and attach to the different strings of energy that each of the flowers hold. I pull them out, bringing each thread into the middle above Harumi until I have a solid orb in my grasp.

When I open my eyes, the light fills the room in a green glow, highlighting all of the now withered flowers that lie around her. Picking a point in the orb, I gradually ease the energy into Harumi, sending various threads to different parts of her body. I send some to her heart, her lungs, her brain, her stomach, her joints, anything and everything that experiences the wear and tear of everyday life. Her body absorbs it all, using the slow and steady supply of resources to repair itself.

When I just throw a ball of energy at someone, it is too much for their body to handle at once. It is like trying to run a marathon only through sprinting. The body can't handle a sprint for that long, so it gives out. However, by going slowly, the body is able to handle it all, and in this case, it is able to heal itself through it.

The green light gets dimmer and dimmer until the ball of energy is gone. Once the last bit of energy trickles into Rumi, she lets out a sigh of contentment.

I pause for a few seconds to look at her. Her nearly white hair is sprawled out behind her, creating a pool that surrounds her head. Even though she is relaxed, she still had a certain element of grace to her, a mix of ease and beauty. She opens her beautiful jade eyes and looks up at me with slightly upturned lips. I can't help but smile a bit in return.

"Are you alright? Your eyes look a bit watery," she asks me, growing my smile.

"I'm just...thankful for you. I don't know what I did to deserve you," I reach out to grab her left hand with her engagement ring on it.

"Oh Lloyd..."

"And I can't wait for when this is over so that I can finally make you my wife," I rub circles on the back of her hand with my thumb.

"Come lie down with me," she pulls her arm towards herself, and I follow its path. I feel the crunch of the dead flowers on my side as I fit in next to her, wrapping my right arm and leg over her body and burying my face into the crook of her neck. "You know I've always wanted to be Harumi Garmadon."

I let out a little laugh. "Even when we were little you were always so jealous. You thought my last name was so much cooler than yours."

"Well it is. I have never heard of another person with the last name Garmadon. Besides, the last name Chen has so much baggage," she brings her hand to my right bicep and tricep. She gently grips onto my arm right where our dragon tattoo rests.

"What do you mean?"

"The Chen bloodline ruled Ninjago from its creation to when my father died. It's an inherently royal name, and it just makes me think about my father, mother, sisters, and all of the people who constantly looked down upon me because I wasn't perfect," she sighs, her hold on my arm growing tighter. "I love PIXAL, don't get me wrong, and the time I spent with you and all of the guys at the palace will always make me happy, but I've never missed any of the royal aspects. Plus, to me, Garmadon just means you."

I pull her closer to my chest and press a kiss onto her neck. "I know that we've talked about this before, but you never deserved any of it, Rumi. You didn't deserve to be thrown to the side by your parents or shunned by your own people. You didn't do anything to cause their actions."

"There was nothing I could have done to take their attention off of Skylor. Everyone adored her. Everyone still does. Remember when we briefly went to the capital about a century ago, and we saw her shrine? It was bigger than PIXAL's, and she was actually murdered for crying out loud!" she uses my arm as a stress ball, squeezing then releasing it.

"When do you think you're going to visit her? Kai said that she had a breakdown when she heard you didn't plan on seeing her," I try to ask the question as lightly as possible, accompanying it with a reassuring squeeze of my hand.

"I can't see her. When I looked at her face for a few seconds when she was brought inside, it just reminded me of all of the pain that I felt for the first twelve years of my life. Everyone always said that she was so self sufficient anyways, so it shouldn't matter if I'm there or not. If something like this happened to me, I wouldn't want her there."

"She doesn't remember any of the past. She's confused about what is true and not true. The only thing that she seems to know is her love for you and PIXAL," I maintain my calm tone, knowing that if I start to sound like I'm defending Skylor, she'll shut down.

"Well if she loved us so much, she would have called everyone out on their BS actions back in the day. Besides, if she needs a sister so much, PIXAL can step into the role. I just know I can't see her," she sighs.

"Which one of you three do you think has lived the best life?" I ask her softly before leaving a kiss near her collarbone.

"What?"

"Interpret it as you will. I just want you to think about it."

We sit in silence for a few minutes. I feel her chest rise and fall as I hear the sounds of her breathing escape from her nose. She takes her free hand and places it on my thigh, just letting it rest. I continue to periodically leave kisses on her neck, each of which causes her to lean closer to me.

"It's me, 100% me. I had you by my side for centuries. My sisters didn't get that with their soulmates," she shifts underneath my grip, letting go of me to roll onto her side. She wraps an arm around my waist and rests her forehead against mine. We close our eyes and let our breaths mingle together. I feel her heartbeat as our chests are pressed together, and I savor the steady rhythm of it. "On the day that everything went to hell, I at least got a choice in my future, and I'm grateful for that. When you showed up to my room, frantic, sobbing, and confused, I could have just stayed put, but I didn't. I was the one who chose this path for myself, and even if it was very traumatic at times, I don't regret it for a second. I got to live life with you."

"I love you so much," my chest is light with my feelings for her.

"I love you, too," she leans forward and connects our lips. They move in tandem, slowly creating something beautiful together. I run my hands over her body, appreciating every dip and curve, soaking in all of her. She does the same, her hands trailing over my chest and arms and waist. The intimacy of the moment mesmerizes me, and I can't help but treasure her even more.

"You are going to make an amazing Mrs. Garmadon," I can barely get the words out once we pull apart, my throat locking itself up. My eyes are glazed over as I look at this woman, my fiance, and I can't help but be grateful that I've been able to have her for all of these years. I bring my hand down to rest on her lower abs, "and I hope that one day, our children will be just like you."

---

Seliel's POV

"You've got this, Cole! Show him who's boss!" I cheer on my soulmate as he battles with his best friend. After the blow up this morning with Nya and Shade, the two of us immediately went to find Jay and tell him what happened. He was still in his room when we arrived, and when we explained the situation to him, he was shocked. He explained everything that had happened up to this point, and boy was it a lot. He hasn't commented on Nya since we left his room to train, but she's still on his mind considering how off he's doing compared to last night.

However, he is still a way better opponent than anyone Cole had at the castle. I would sometimes watch Cole train the new recruits (and even some of the other soldiers), and there was not a single person even close to his level. In fact, I don't think I ever saw him get hit until I saw him fight Jay last night.

Flicking his hand up in the air, Cole carves three boulders from the ground and raises them into the air. With quick jerks of his hand, they go flying at Jay from different directions. He jumps to his left to avoid the first and uses his powers to break the second, but the third hits him straight in the chest, sending him flying backwards and into a tree. With a loud thump, he slides down it and lets out a groan. Pieces of bark chip off the tree and flutter to the ground from the impact.

"That never worked on you before," Cole flicks his fingers rightwards, and the rock goes flying off of Jay who slowly pushes off of the ground before wiping off his pants and bare back.

"I had to help you impress your lady," Jay winks at him. "I'm gonna take a break though. I need some wa... I'm thirsty."

"Your canteen is over there," I nudge my head in the direction that we put our stuff. He rushes over there, picking up the blue bottle and starting to gulp his water down.

Cole, on the other hand, walks over, leaning down and entrapping me as he rests his hands on both sides of the stump that I'm sitting on top of. His body is drenched in sweat, contouring his firm frame, and it takes all of my energy to keep my focus on his face. "How did I do?"

"Hmmm," I stroke my chin. "Maybe a 5/10. I could do better."

He lets out a chuckle and presses a quick kiss on my lips. "Oh I'm sure of it. Zappy Hands over there must be at a 1/10 then." A shock flies out of Jay's hand and hits Cole's butt, making him jump up and hold his right glute.

"Oh, be quiet, Boulder Brain. You know that if everything was normal, I would destroy you 10/10 times," Jay taunts.

"That's not a valid excuse. You have nothing to worry about with Nya," Cole sits down next to me to protect his butt. I nuzzle myself beneath his arm even though he's dripping with sweat. He still manages to smell nice, and besides, the pump that he has from working his muscles is too good to ignore.

"I agree. Even though Cole cut her off this morning, I don't think she was going to say yes. Plus, from what you told me, she seems confused in her head but not her heart," I chime in as Cole cups my shoulder with one of his hands. God, his hands are big.

Jay cocks his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"She wants you. She's clearly way more attracted to you [physically than she is to Shade, and the fact that she wasn't able to let you go all of these years shows that she's also more emotionally connected to you. Since she's a very logical person, she feels the need to do this systematically and give you both a fair chance even though she's had a trial period with both of you. She already knows all that she needs to. Her brain just needs a bit of time to process what her heart is already aware of."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Cole leans down and places a kiss on the top of my head, making my face heat up a bit. "Just lay back and things will work themselves out."

As we were talking, Jay started to slowly pace back and forth, and now, he's picked up his speed a decent amount. "How can I just lay back? I want to prove that I'm the one she should choose, but I'm still so mad at her for kissing Shade right in front of my face and not apologizing, but even with that I still want to see her so badly and..."

"Relax. Things will work out by themselves," Cole says.

Jay freezes and just looks at us. "Relax? That's rich coming from a guy who the king literally thinks kidnapped his daughter. You're public enemy number one right now, buddy. Plus, considering my psycho ex who apparently can create elemental powers is hellbent on marrying me, who knows how much time I have left with Nya? I want to make it count."

"My dad can suck it," I cross my arms. "He deserves to think I was kidnapped. Serves him right, and my brother, too."

"The prince tried to claim he knew more about us than the princess. I had to hear him talk down to her from my room, and it was painful," I can practically hear Cole's eye roll.

"Okay I know you two told me this last night," Jay glances between the two of us, "but you two actually had conjoining rooms? I thought that they wanted their princesses protected, not pregnant."

My eyes nearly pop out of my skull, and Cole chokes on air beside me. "Excuse me, but that's a lot coming from Mr. Twelve Times," Cole counters.

"Hey hey hey," Jay points at his best friend. "You can't go around spreading that, especially not to Kai because I want to live another day." He takes a seat on the stump next to our waters, picking his up yet again and using his other hand to lean back. "Honestly Seliel, I'm impressed you didn't make a move on him earlier. Personally, if Cole was protecting me, I wouldn't have been able to wait two whole years."

"Trust me, it was hard, but this guy wasn't dropping any hints," I say with a laugh at the end.

"Hey, I totally... someone is coming," Cole's head shoots to the left, staring at a path that leads back to camp.

"I don't see anything," I squint, but I can't see nor hear anyone.

"I feel their steps," Cole explains. "Usually I just blur it out cause there's so much information to take in, but they're clearly walking this way."

"It better be Zane with some snacks. Apparently, he's making these little egg bites today, and I've been dreaming about them all morning," Jay sighs wistfully.

"Egg bites, you say?" Cole perks up, sitting up straighter and bringing me with him.

"Yeah. There's supposed to be onions, and peppers, and spinach, and all of that good stuff in them. He wanted something quick and healthy to fuel everyone," Jay explains, moving his free hand as he talks.

"But what if they all fuel me?"

"That's what I'm saying! I'm not a bad chef like you..."

"Hey!"

"But Zane is still leagues above me."

"You're a bad chef? You've lived over 8 centuries, and you still can't cook?" I sit up to look at Cole. His cheeks are pink, and he avoids my eyes.

"Well Princess, I...umm..."

He's saved by the motion I catch out of the corner of my eye. My gaze instantly snaps up to the person who was walking towards us. The master of water, now in her training gear as opposed to Jay's clothes, stands with her shoulders back. Her confidence is commendable considering the circumstances.

However, it's as if neither Cole nor I are here. Her eyes are fixated on Jay, "Can I steal you for a bit?"

He's silent for a few seconds, his eyes slightly wide."Yeah, of course," he stands up from the stump, dusting off his pants. He turns to look at us. "I'll be back."

As the two walk away together side by side (I'd expect more space between them since Jay's mad, but Cole did say that he caves in easily), I can't help but notice how good they look together. I can't pinpoint a single thing, maybe it is their body language or their overall vibes, but it just looks right.

I wrap my arm around Cole, pulling myself even closer to him, and I enjoy the feeling of his body against mine as we just relax and listen to the birds. He always told me that he liked nature, and as someone who never really got a chance to experience it, I can now understand why he does. The gentle rustle of the trees, the calm chirps of the birds, the distant trickle of water, all of it soothes the soul, especially with Cole by my side.

"I know it's bad to say this while we are in the middle of the war, but I'm so much happier now than I was a week ago. I feel full for the first time in forever," I let my thoughts out.

"I feel the same way. It's like everything that I've wanted for so long is finally here. If you and my friends weren't in danger, I'd be content because if I'm being honest, I don't care about the Ninjago. It turned its back on me, so I turned my back on it. The only reason I was at the castle was for you," he leans his head on top of mine.

"I want to see the world with you," I reach out to hold his hand. I take it in mine and intertwine our fingers, my smaller hand linking with his with ease. "I don't want to go back to the castle where I was going to be traded like an inanimate object. I want to travel and experience life with you."

"Then that's what we'll do, Princess. I was either in those mountain ranges or in the capital for the past six centuries, so I'm interested to see how things have changed. Once this is all over, we can travel all throughout Ninjago."

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry that this chapter was late! The weekend before last was super busy, so I didn't have time to write, and it all snowballed from there. I'll try to catch back up and get back onto my schedule that I'm trying to establish

Also, this chapter was longer than expected (of course), so I've had to rearrange things yet again. Currently, there are 13 more chapters planned (including the epilogue) meaning that there is going to be at least that many (I typically split chapters up tho so who knows)

I've also been toying around with the idea of a possible shorter (15-25 chapter) story that's an AU if the culprits were caught at the murder of PIXAL and the boys weren't framed? Is there any interest?

Thoughts so far? Any ideas?

Thank you all so much for the support! You're amazing